Music Consultanthttp://musicconsultant.com
Music business consulting and record label services. We help artists navigate the music business and formulate music marketing strategies.Mon, 19 Mar 2018 15:15:26 +0000en-UShourly1Touring Tips and Show Booking Advicehttp://musicconsultant.com/live-shows/touring-tips-and-show-booking-advice/
http://musicconsultant.com/live-shows/touring-tips-and-show-booking-advice/#respondThu, 15 Mar 2018 16:23:38 +0000http://musicconsultant.com/?p=8248Eva Alexiou-Reo is the president and founder of FATA Booking Agency in Philadelphia, PA. Eva began her music career booking local DIY house shows and... Read more »]]>

Eva Alexiou-Reo is the president and founder of FATA Booking Agency in Philadelphia, PA. Eva began her music career booking local DIY house shows and working at college radio in the mid-late ‘90s. Since founding her independent boutique agency in 1996, she has worked with artists including Hot Water Music, Jimmy Eat World, Flogging Molly, Saves the Day, Rusted Root and many more.

Eva talked about how touring has changed for artists in the past 20 years. She also shared some advice for artists looking to book their own shows as well as some tips for those who want to work on tours with booking agents.

Music Consultant:

Hi Eva, thanks for taking the time to speak today. You founded and have run FATA booking for over 15 years now and also manage a few artists. Can you tell me a bit about how you got started?

EAR:

​Of course! In 1992 I started going to see national bands passing through Scranton/ Wilkes- Barre area, which is where I grew up. Since it was so small, it was really easy to meet bands. I befriended a band called Hot Water Music, who I went onto working with for the first 9 years of my career. By the time I was finishing high school, I was helping Hot Water Music with their US and Canadian touring. They became a pretty well-known band fast, which led me to start FATA Booking Agency. They went on to introduce me to Jimmy Eat World, Elliott, and other amazing bands I worked with (as well as many I did not). I spent a lot of time with these bands both on and off the road. Later I worked with Hidden In Plain View, Mae, The Blood Bothers, Pretty Girls Make Graves, and many, many others.​

Music Consultant:

How has the touring side of the business changed since the inception of your company?

EAR:

​It’s changed drastically since I started. When I began, bands spent a lot of time booking their own tours and working with their fans to build up their music and spread the word about their band. There were a lot of boutiques doing big things. Everyone knew each other. There was a common respect for each other and there was a lot more help shared. Most of this does not exist anymore. I enjoy helping others reach their magical goals. ​

Music Consultant:

Is there an argument for choosing a smaller boutique agency like yours over one of the bigger agencies?

EAR:

​I tell bands all the time to look at the agent, not the agency. Don’t look at the bands ON the festivals or tours, because there are thousands that are not on them. Work with the team who will fight for you and knock down walls. Don’t look back and change teams when the walls have been knocked down. Sometimes this works and others it does not. Bigger agencies have amazing agents at them, just like a lot of boutiques like FATA and others.

Music Consultant:

What is your read on all of the consolidation of the major booking agencies? Do you think it will last?

EAR:

Well, I did see today that one agent left one to start his own and another went to a boutique. I’ve seen this pattern before and hope it does work for many. But from what I have seen, it typically does eventually break back apart. ​If only we had a crystal ball.

Music Consultant:

While I am sure all projects are different, are there strategies that always remain the same when growing a developing artist’s touring business?

EAR:

“When,” “Why,” and “Where” to tour.

Know when it’s a good time to tour. For example, don’t go against other big tours, know if there is something going on either with a release or college radio or a time of the year when people are around.

Also, know why you are touring. Is it your goal to build a fan base, digital numbers, press/radio, to try all the Wholefoods in the US or Chick-fil-As?

Knowing where to tour is huge. Who wants you where? Do you know? Go get them and hit it often until you start moving numbers. People talk. If you are selling rooms, people find out about it.

Music Consultant:

The most common question I get in our business from artists just starting out is, “How do I get/attract an agency when I am not worth tickets in multiple markets?”

EAR:

​Good music. Good live show. Realistic expectations.

Music Consultant: ​

Do you have any advice for artists who are self-booking?

EAR:

​Yes! Keep doing it. Our jobs are hard. You should know this so you love how hard we work for you!! When we call in favors to get you something you think you deserve, say, “Thank You!”

Music Consultant: ​

Any parting advice for musicians on developing their careers in general, or can you talk about mistakes that they should avoid?

EAR:

​Don’t switch teams when it is working. Stick with the people who know you best, who worked for you out of the gate and did it well. That being said, if they do not do it well, then you know you should change teams.

For more information about Eva Alexiou-Reo and the work she does with artists and tours, visit the FATA website.

]]>http://musicconsultant.com/live-shows/touring-tips-and-show-booking-advice/feed/0Music Marketing and Indie Record Labelshttp://musicconsultant.com/music-as-a-career/music-marketing-and-indie-record-labels/
http://musicconsultant.com/music-as-a-career/music-marketing-and-indie-record-labels/#respondThu, 08 Mar 2018 16:46:05 +0000http://musicconsultant.com/?p=8230Nick Tieder is the General Manager, North America at Frontiers Music Srl, an independent record label that has been around for over 20 years and... Read more »]]>

Nick Tieder is the General Manager, North America at Frontiers Music Srl, an independent record label that has been around for over 20 years and specializes in the melodic and hard rock genres. As GM, Nick oversees marketing on all the label’s releases and is also is an A&R representative for all its North American artists. Initially launched as a home for established artists looking to put out new material, Frontiers has released albums from a long list of rock superstars, including Def Leppard, Toto, Whitesnake, Yes, Journey, Sebastian Bach, Styx, Jeff Lyne and ELO, Heart, Foreigner, Sammy Hagar and many others.

Nick talked about what Frontiers looks for in artists they sign. He also talked about what makes for a successful artist marketing campaign and delivered some advice for new and emerging artists looking to build successful careers in the current climate.

Music Consultant:

Thanks for taking some time to chat, Nick. What does Frontiers look for in artists they sign? How can an artist get noticed by you?

NT:

We receive such a staggeringly large amount of submissions and it can be difficult to stick out from the pack. I can tell you that sending a message on Facebook with a link to a video on YouTube and a message that says “Hey, we are looking for a record deal” won’t get you very far, nor will trying to hijack a conversation on Twitter by spamming links to your band. We have a large and growing network of trusted sources that pass along music to us and we do our own investigating/research via YouTube, message boards, and the like. Sometimes you can get noticed through pure dumb luck or good fortune (whatever you’d like to call it). On multiple occasions, we have inadvertently stumbled across something brilliant while poking around on the web. That’s why it is always wise for new bands to have plenty of content out there for people to happen upon, but of course make sure you aren’t just dumping things out there without some curation.

As for the bands that make us stand up and take notice, we take a lot of factors into consideration. Most importantly we look for indications that there is a strong work ethic in place. Showing clear signs of being a self-starter is going to be attractive to any label, really. We also take into consideration the image of the band or the potential for the imaging of the band. Sometimes jeans and t-shirts work just fine, sometimes maybe something more would make all the difference. And like everyone, we also investigate social media numbers, YouTube views, streaming numbers, touring activity, etc. We also look closely at the quality of the social media numbers. If you have 100,000 Facebook likes, but really poor engagement on your posts, then something is amiss. Quality over quantity is important.

Music Consultant:

Do you look for bands outside of the hard rock genre?

NT:

Yes, we absolutely do look for bands outside of the hard rock genre. We are a rock ‘n roll label, so while we stick to the rock genre as a whole, that’s a pretty broad umbrella. We have bands playing everything from hard rock to heavy metal to blues rock to progressive rock to progressive metal to melodic rock to AOR to classic rock on the label, but the common thread they all share is quality songs and excellent musicianship.

Music Consultant:

Frontiers started as a home for established Artists’ new projects, what new Artists have they broken overseas before coming here?

NT:

The label has become known for being a home to established artists who still want to create fresh, new music, but there have been young, developing artists with the label since the inception in 1996. It has been and always will be part of the vision for the label. We’ve also been in North America for quite some time now, but the efforts to really ramp up our presence and start signing and developing more young talent in the U.S. has just begun in earnest recently. We are seeing really great stories develop overseas with bands like Inglorious, Eclipse, One Desire, Bigfoot, Dirty Thrills, and more. While those bands continue to gain momentum in their home territories, we’ll look at the right timing to bring them to the U.S. and properly introduce them to audiences here via touring. One of my main objectives right now is to find and sign U.S. based upcoming talent so that we can develop them in this market and then plug them into our network overseas.

Music Consultant:

How do you plan to tweak what Frontiers does to fit the U.S. market? Does it need tweaking?

NT:

Not particularly, no. As an independent rock label, we have our brand, which is growing and evolving; but people who know us know we are going to deliver them quality rock music. We just want to introduce ourselves to many, many, many more music fans in the U.S. market.

Music Consultant:

What labels do you feel are your contemporaries (aka signing the kinds of artists you’re looking for)?

NT:

Napalm, Mascot, Spinefarm and the like. And to a degree, Nuclear Blast, Metal Blade, Earache, etc., but more for the hard rock, classic rock sections of their roster and obviously not the extreme metal subgenres. I’m a massive fan of all the aforementioned labels and am thrilled to see the success they’ve been having over the years. A rising tide lifts all boats, so a win for one of us is really a win for all of us, in my eyes.

Music Consultant:

Do the bands on the label now reflect your personal taste? What are your favorite recent releases, on and off Frontiers?

NT:

Absolutely! Everyone who works at the label is a huge fan of the music and invested in the A&R vision. We are all total fanatics doing this for the passion and devotion to the artists’ music. Everyone on staff can bring forth bands that they think might fit the label. We don’t keep A&R to one department. I was incredibly psyched when I first started working with Frontiers’ because they had releases lined up from multiple musical heroes from my teenage years. My 15 year old self never would have believed that I was going to be handling product management for these acts. And then I started to get to know the European bands they were working with that I hadn’t previously been familiar with and it opened up whole new worlds for me. Some of my favorite recent releases from Frontiers have been L.A. Guns, Riverdogs, Wayward Sons, Crazy Lixx, Inglorious, Hell In The Club, Tokyo Motor Fist, Eclipse, Labyrinth, Rick Springfield, Animal Drive, CoreLeoni, and more. Non-Frontiers’ recent favorites are Liam Gallagher, Visigoth, Jared James Nichols, Corrosion Of Conformity, Power Trip, Ryan Adams, Downtown Boys, Alvvays, Future Islands, The Menzingers, Mutoid Man, and I am absolutely obsessed with Twin Peaks from Chicago. Amazing band.

Music Consultant:

Many rock labels are in NY or L.A. Why Nashville for you?

NT:

Simple. It is MUSIC CITY and is brimming with musicians from all stripes. Country certainly rules the roost here, but it is absolutely an ever-growing rock town, as well as other genres, for that matter.

Music Consultant:

Can you talk about a recent marketing campaign for a band that you noticed and thought was great (not one of yours) and why?

NT:

It is perhaps a glaringly obvious example, but I thought the rollout on the Metallica’s latest album was brilliant. They gave themselves enough of a runway to gather pre-orders and promote the release, while not having it so far out that the wait felt agonizing for their fanbase. Filming a video for every song and releasing them in rapid succession, while not the first time it had been done by an artist, felt like a revolutionary move for a rock band. From a fan perspective, I couldn’t have asked for more out of them and absolutely enjoyed the ride. I suspect you’ll see a lot of bands try to mimic what they did. And they of course had the key ingredient, which was an amazing album.

Music Consultant:

Since your personal background is in marketing and PR, what advice would you give a young band in the DIY stage of their career?

NT:

Take care of your backyard. It is easy to get lost in the daydreams of conquering your home country and the world, but take care of your hometown first. Get to know all the local promoters and club owners. Go out and support other bands and make friends with them. If nobody will give you a gig, then you can pair up and host your own shows at DIY venues. Make friends with local businesses like breweries, coffee shops, tattoo parlors, and of course, record stores and see if they’ll let you play gigs there. Know who your local government officials are and what kid of arts programs they offer in the city and figure out how to tie yourself into them. If you have a fan or fans that are really supportive, then get to know them and see if there is a way they might be able to help you out. Maybe one of them is a graphic designer and can help with t-shirt designs or maintain your website for you. Make them part of the family early.

Also, pay attention to social media and content creation, but don’t get so deep into it that impacts your time creating music. Make sure everybody in the band (if you are in a band) has an assigned duty for the band that speaks to their strengths. Don’t get discouraged. This business is not for the faint of heart, and you will have a lot of people tell you that you suck, but that is just one opinion in a business built largely on opinions. If this is truly what you feel you are destined to do, then you will persevere.

To learn more about Nick Tieder and the work he does with Frontiers Music, check out the label on Facebook and Twitter.

]]>http://musicconsultant.com/music-as-a-career/music-marketing-and-indie-record-labels/feed/0Music Business News, March 6, 2018http://musicconsultant.com/music-news-2018/music-business-news-march-6-2018/
http://musicconsultant.com/music-news-2018/music-business-news-march-6-2018/#respondTue, 06 Mar 2018 17:35:58 +0000http://musicconsultant.com/?p=8228CD Baby paid out $80 million to artists last year. Also, Universal said it will share Spotify stock profits with artists. And a new report... Read more »]]>

CD Baby paid out $80 million to artists last year. Also, Universal said it will share Spotify stock profits with artists. And a new report dove into the latest social media trends.

CD Baby Hitting $600 Million in Artist Payouts Since 1998

CD Baby reported it paid out $80 million to artists in 2017, according toBillboard. Launched in 1998, the indie distributor and publisher has paid $600 million to artists in its 20 years in business.

The company was started in the middle of a record industry boom and hit an overall revenue high by the end of its first year. However, as the industry changed, its business was cut in half and continued to struggle. This past year, however, as streaming hit its stride, CD Baby began to grow again.

The $80.1 million CD Baby paid out to artists in 2017 was 33-percent than it paid out in 2016. It distributes 650,000 artists and over nine million tracks. The company also publishes 140,000 songwriters and 875,000 songs, representing artists and bands in 215 territories worldwide.

Kevin Bruener, CD Baby’s VP of marketing explained, “Just six years ago, iTunes downloads were the main source of sales revenue for our artists … With this shift [towards streaming], we’ve seen revenue increase dramatically. The overall pie is growing and indie musicians are getting their slices.”

CD Baby offered up data to Billboard (available in the linked story) supporting its declaration of growth. In 2009, only 1.7-percent of the $33.3 million the company paid out to indie artists came from streaming services. Only eight years later, that percentage was 58 percent. $36.7 million paid came from streams last year.

However, CD Baby’s artist payouts are still a small percentage of the indie music market worldwide, which hit $6 billion in revenues in 2016 to make up 38-percent of the entire recorded music market. Other stats released by CD Baby showed that its overall payments have grown, but its share of total digital distribution revenue has gotten smaller during the past six years as companies like Spotify, Apple Music and Pandora emerged.

CD Baby CEO Tracy Maddux said, “We’re excited to see average artists’ earnings grow for a third consecutive year due to millions more consumers engaging in music discovery on streaming services … We’re very optimistic about the trend as we continue to lobby for higher per stream rates.”

Universal Planning to Share Spotify Stock it Sells with Artists

Universal Music Group confirmed it will share the money it gets via sale of its Spotify stock with artists, reported Music Business Worldwide.

Warner Music Group and Sony Music Entertainment both committed to share some of their Spotify equity profits with artists two years ago, but Universal had remained quiet.

A spokesperson announced, “Consistent with UMG’s approach to artist compensation, artists would share in the proceeds of a [Spotify] equity sale.”

Sources with knowledge of the situation said UMG may have been unable to make a public statement about the issue because they were not allowed to until Spotify confirmed it was going public on the New York Stock Exchange. Spotify officially went public on February 28, 2018. The filing showed that only one major label, Sony Music owns Spotify shares totaling more than five percent.

The document indicated that Sony has a 5.7-percent share in Spotify, estimated to be worth more than $1 billion.

Other sources close to UMG said that the label has not yet sold any of its shares in Spotify during private trades. This indicates that Sony may have purchased additional shares in the company after getting its initial allocation through licensing agreements.

All three major labels plus indie company Merlin have obtained Spotify equity since the streaming platform’s launch in 2008. Together, these companies had the rights to 87-percent of streams hosted on Spotify in 2017.

New Report Showing Latest Social Media Trends Released

A new study released by Pew pointed to the latest social media user behavior.

The underlying research showed that Facebook and YouTube were the most-used social media platforms among a majority of adults. However, young Americans age 18-24 are using a large number of platforms beyond the top two and very often.

The average user in the U.S. uses three of the eight major platforms explored by Pew as part of this report: Facebook; YouTube; Snapchat; Twitter; Instagram; Linkedin; Pinterest; WhatsApp.

Pew also discovered that 78-percent of American 18-24-year olds use Snapchat, and 71-percent of this group use the platform more than once per day. Instagram is also used by 71-percent of 18-24-year olds. Twitter is used by 45 percent.

Despite these large numbers above, Facebook and YouTube are still consistently popular, with 68-percent of adults in the U.S. using Facebook and 75-percent of this group visiting the platform daily. Facebook by far houses the widest range of demographic groups of any platform.

YouTube has more users than Facebook. 75-percent of U.S. adults and 94-percent of 18-24-year olds use YouTube regularly.

Still, Pew’s study indicated that social media may not be as popular as it has been in previous years. Of those surveyed, 59-percent of people who use social media said they would not find it difficult to give up social media. 29-percent of users said even more definitively, “It would not be hard at all.”

]]>http://musicconsultant.com/music-news-2018/music-business-news-march-6-2018/feed/0Music Business News, February 27, 2018http://musicconsultant.com/music-news-2018/music-business-news-february-27-2018/
http://musicconsultant.com/music-news-2018/music-business-news-february-27-2018/#respondTue, 27 Feb 2018 18:02:13 +0000http://musicconsultant.com/?p=8224Liberty Media offered to acquire 40-percent of a financially-strapped iHeart Media. Also, Amazon ended its live ticketing initiative in the UK. And music festivals worldwide... Read more »]]>

Liberty Media offered to acquire 40-percent of a financially-strapped iHeart Media. Also, Amazon ended its live ticketing initiative in the UK. And music festivals worldwide pledged for more gender-equal line-ups by 2022.

InsideRadio reported that this cash infusion would give Liberty four seats on the company’s board of directors. The proposal also suggested that Liberty invest $1.159 billion in cash in iHeart, and the stake would be split equally between Liberty and SiriusXM Radio.

iHeart is at the end of a grace period from a skipped loan payment. The grace period will expire later this week. An iHeart spokesperson did not comment on the bid, but insiders noted that this bid is likely one of several that investors will make as iHeart considers a potential chapter 11 bankruptcy reorganization with lenders.

The offer was revealed as part of a press release issued by a handful of iHeart’s lenders and noteholders on February 26. They said they got a proposed term sheet from Liberty on February 24 that includes a few “to be determined” terms.

Experts noted that this public sharing of the deal prior to specifics may be an attempt by lenders to push iHeart into seriously considering it. If iHeart decides to accept Liberty’s offer, it will have to “use reasonable efforts” to get the bankruptcy courts to approve the acquisition. Liberty also said its offer is dependent upon an approved chapter 11 bankruptcy plan.

The term sheet features several claims that will need to be negotiated in order for liberty to acquire a stake in iHeart. iHeart would also have to get collateral cash or get financing that is acceptable to its existing creditors and Liberty. Liberty stated that its offer “is intended to work in concert with the Company’s existing Restructuring Support Agreement discussions and in effect be added to that Plan.”

Liberty’s proposal stipulates that iHeart’s Clear Channel Outdoor business would be part of the deal. The investment would also give iHeart a nine-member board of directors, with Liberty and iHeart each appointing four. The offer also includes a “no shop” promise by iHeart.

Liberty’s proposal does not discuss whether or not federal regulators would approve the company acquiring a 40-percent stake in the largest group owner in the radio industry while also holding a majority interest in Sirius XM, the country’s only satellite radio provider. Liberty owns 69-percent of SiriusXM and 34-percent of Live Nation.

Amazon Ending UK Ticketing Business … for Now

Amazon said it will discontinue its UK ticketing business. However, Billboardnoted that the online retail giant might be readying a relaunch in 2019, tied to technology including Amazon Echo and Firestick.

Amazon has been working with London ticketing software firm Ingresso to sell tickets online in the UK. However, in December 2017, officials started meeting with show producers at its headquarters in Seattle, indicating they wanted to phase out the existing ticketing programs and launch a new one that ties into its own devices: the voice-activated Echo speaker; the Firestick TV streaming device; the personal assistant Software Alexa, which may make looking for tickets easier for users.

Insiders indicated that Amazon is proposing starting the new ticketing service in Q1 of 2019, though this has not been officially confirmed.

An Amazon spokesperson did not confirm the speculations about the new ticketing platform, but issued the following statement: “We are closing Amazon Tickets; however, all tickets purchased by customers at any time remain valid.”

Amazon Tickets’ category director for music, James Moore also sent an email to its show partners explaining, “Amazon has taken the decision to close Amazon Tickets and today (Feb. 21) will commence the process of marking back to you any tickets currently on our website and of ceasing the sale of new tickets.”

Amazon has had a few false starts in the ticketing space. It stopped efforts to launch a ticket service in the U.S. in 2017 when it was unable to strike up a deal with Live Nation/Ticketmaster for tickets to major tours and events.

Because there are no exclusive venue contracts in the UK, Amazon made deals with a few major British promoters and then offered itself up as a third-party distributor of tickets. The company was somewhat successful at selling tickets and also started a Prime Events division with events by artists such as Blondie and others. However, Amazon’s attempts to launch in the U.S. fell short when it could not find common ground with Ticketmaster.

Amazon also disagreed with Live Nation on data sharing. Amazon did not want to share purchasing data and contact information for 85 million Prime subscribers with Live Nation, so talks ended. Amazon U.K.’s GM of tickets, Geraldine Wilson and its Amazon Prime live events director, Jason Carter left the company in November 2017.

Music Festivals Pledging for More Gender-Equal Lineups

A sizable group of music festivals and conferences worldwide pledged to pursue or keep gender-equal lineups by 2022, according to NME.

The news comes as the PRS Foundation launched the International Keychange initiative. The goal of the initiative is to improve gender equality at festivals, conferences and residencies during the next four years. So far, 45 festivals and conferences have signed the pledge.

Those participating include Brighton’s The Great Escape, Iceland Airwaves, Way Out West and Tallinn Music Week. Festivals in the UK who are taking the pledge are Blissfields, Kendal Calling, Liverpool Sound City, Sŵn Festival, Roundhouse Rising, BBC Music Introducing and the BBC Proms.

A series of international festivals have also jumped on board, including By:Larm (Norway), Canadian Music Week, North by North East (Canada), Winter Jazzfest and A2IM Indie Week in the U.S. and more.

Vanessa Reed, PRS Foundation CEO said, “We support diverse talent across every program we run at PRS Foundation. 40-percent of our grantees in 2017 were from a BAME background and 53-percent featured female artists. Our focus on gender equality in 2018 aligns with the centenary for some women being given the vote in the UK. 100 years on, the push for gender parity across society continues and with increased public awareness of inequalities across the creative industries we have an opportunity to respond and commit to tangible change in music.”

She continued, “The Keychange network of female artists and industry professionals and the festival partners’ idea of establishing a collective pledge will significantly accelerate change. I hope that this will be the start of a more balanced industry which will result in benefits for everyone.”

Several well-known artists are Ambassadors of Keychange, including Shirley Manson, Hinds, Tony Visconti (David Bowie) as well as the organizer of the Glastonbury, Emily Eavis.

]]>http://musicconsultant.com/music-news-2018/music-business-news-february-27-2018/feed/0Music Business News, February 21, 2018http://musicconsultant.com/music-news-2018/music-business-news-february-21-2018/
http://musicconsultant.com/music-news-2018/music-business-news-february-21-2018/#respondWed, 21 Feb 2018 16:14:02 +0000http://musicconsultant.com/?p=8221Spotify indicated it may soon unveil its first physical products. And Facebook signed a licensing deal covering hundreds of thousands of rightsholders worldwide. Also, Google’s... Read more »]]>

Spotify indicated it may soon unveil its first physical products. And Facebook signed a licensing deal covering hundreds of thousands of rightsholders worldwide. Also, Google’s traffic to publishers increased significantly.

Spotify Unveiling New Streaming Hardware

Spotify may soon release its own streaming hardware, judging from a few recent job postings, reported Music Ally and also Billboard.

A job posting for “Operations Manager – Hardware Product” clued experts in on the idea that the Swedish company might be “on its way to creating its first physical products and setting up an operational organization for manufacturing, supply chain, sales & marketing.”

Industry insiders were not clear on how close Spotify is to completing hardware, but the job posting indicated that the company’s new hire would “define and manage” elements of a hardware division like distribution, supply chain, customer service and logistics for the project. The ad also implies that Spotify might be close to finishing the design of the hardware and is ramping up to manufacture and sell it.

Other production-related jobs, all based in Stockholm also popped up: “Senior Project Manager Hardware Production;” “Project Manager Hardware Production & Engineering.” The listing for both positions say the “positions will drive the project with a team of world-class Spotify engineers and designers, contractors, manufacturing suppliers, etc.”

Spotify is similar to a majority of other streaming services in that its catalog is streamed via third-party home devices. Two exceptions are Amazon Music, which has the Echo system and Google Play, which has Google Home. Apple recently released its HomePod speaker, which does not support direct playback through Spotify.

Facebook Signing Licensing Deal with ICE Services

Facebook signed a deal with ICE Services today, according to TechCrunch.

ICE Services is a licensing group and copyright database that houses 31 million works. It represents PRS in the UK, STIM in Sweden and GEMA in Germany and provides music licensing and royalty collection for those represented by the group when their music is used on Facebook, Instagram, Oculus and Messenger.

This deal marks a significant ramp-up of Facebook’s recent push to license music. It is the first multi-territorial license signed by Facebook with an online licensing portal. It will cover 290,000 rightsholders and 160 territories.

Facebook has been setting the stage for its own streaming music capabilities for months, signing deals with record labels and other music industry entities to ensure that the music used in videos and other content posted on its different sites does not infringe on copyrights. This latest move may indicate the social media company is preparing to create its own music service in the future.

ICE and Facebook did not release any specific financial details of the deal. An ICE spokesperson said, “ICE is one of a number of licensors of publishing rights and therefore the commercial terms associated with the deal must remain confidential. There is a robust and detailed governance process which operates to assess the detail of major ICE license deals and includes representation from writers and publishers of ICE’s customers.”

A report released in September indicated that Facebook is making deals worth hundreds of millions of dollars. In the past few months, it has inked deals with Universal Music Group for user-generated videos, with Sony/ATV and another with Kobalt, HFA/Rumblefish and Global Music Rights. Facebook has also pursued giving creators access to “no-name” music through its new service Sound Collection. ICE represents some artists that fall outside those agreements because of the territories they cover or label licensing issues.

The ICE deal covers videos that are uploaded to Facebook, Instagram, Oculus and Messenger by the platform’s 2.1 billion registered users and will also be added in a catalog that people can access when they are creating videos and adding them to Facebook “from scratch.” While Sound Collection is not mentioned by name in the ICE press release, it is likely going to be a part of the deal, which would mark the first time Facebook is adding premium music to Sound Collection.

Head of International Music Publishing Business Development at Facebook, Anjali Southward said, in a statement, “We are delighted to continue deepening our relationship with music by partnering with ICE in a first-of-its-kind licensing deal … Facebook’s journey with music is just beginning and we look forward to working with ICE and songwriters to build a community together around music.”

ICE also indicated it will work with Facebook to create a royalties reporting system. The company has arrangements with 40 other streaming platforms and has paid out 300 million euros in royalties to its members since its foundation in 2016. Before 2016, the three organizations it represents worked on their own, but eventually joined forces to strengthen their bargaining power.

Ben McEwen, Commercial Director at ICE Services said, “We are excited to work with Facebook to ensure we are delivering value back to creators for the use of their works on Facebook platforms. The future of music depends on our industries working together to enable the development of new models for music consumption in the digital age, to ensure a healthy future for songwriters and composers.”

Google Driving More Traffic to Publishers

Google’s traffic to publishers has increased to the point that it is making up for traffic lost from Facebook, indicated a set of new data from Chartbeat.

According to Recode, Facebook has been adjusting its algorithm so posts from friends and families get prioritized in the newsfeed over those from publishers and other entities. Therefore, more publishers have been signing up for Accelerated Mobile Pages (AMP), Google’s publishing format. The format was launched in 2015 and hosts content from publishers directly on Google’s servers so it can be called up more quickly for mobile users.

Google held a developer conference last week during which it was announced that 31 million websites use AMP, an increase of 25 percent since October 2017. Google said fast-loading mobile webpages help ensure people do not give up on searches, which sends more traffic to websites.

Chartbeat figures indicated that in the first week of this month, Google sent 466 million more page views to publishers. This was an increase of 40 percent over January of 2017. Page views came largely from mobile and AMP. Facebook sent 200 million fewer – 20-percent less.

Chartbeat is a publisher analytics company that works with companies including the New York Times, CNN, the Washington Post and CNN.

Similar data was published by digital analytics company Parse.ly last year and also showed that Google was the main source of referral traffic to publishers.

Referral traffic comprised 47-percent of publisher traffic thus far in 2018. Google and Facebook were responsible for a majority of it.

Experts predicted that Google’s referral traffic to publishers will go up even further. At the developer conference, Google unveiled its AMP for email and AMP Stories, Google’s version of Snapchat and Instagram stories, which will now show up in users’ search results.

Analysts indicated that tax changes will significantly affect music publishers. Also, major label executives criticized the Recording Academy for lack of female representation. And Google changed its rules to curb deceptive ticket sellers.

Music Publishers Affected by Tax Law Changes

The new tax bill signed into law on December 22, 2017 will have significant effects on music publishers, according to a Hypebot analysis by Magda Szabo, CPA, JD, LL.M., Tax Partner at Janover LLC and Steven White, CPA, Principal at Janover LLC.

Called the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, the bill appears on the surface to benefit publishers thanks to the passthrough income deduction and the deduction for outbound (offshore) licensing.

While Congress sought to reduce the effective rate for passthrough business with a “passthrough income deduction” of 20-percent for partnerships, sole proprietorships and “S” corporations, the law is so complicated and “restrictive” that many who are supposed to benefit may not even be able to claim their benefits.

The Hypebot post simplified the deduction by explaining it is the lesser of “combined qualified business income” or “taxable income less capital gains.” The net lower number is taken at 20 percent for the “passthrough income” or “qualified business income” deduction.

When looking closer at the rules, “qualified business income” is the lesser of the “allocable share operating income less operating expenses” or “the greater of the allocable share 50-percent of W-2 wages paid” … or “the allocable share of 25-percent of W-2 wages plus 2.5-percent of the acquisition cost of all ‘qualified property.’” The “qualified property” adjustment was meant to bring benefits to real estate businesses and is limited to “tangible property rather than intellectual property. Thus, copyrights for music, while technically “property” do not qualify.

The deduction for services-based businesses will likely be limited in the following fields: performing arts; health; law; accounting; actuarial science; consulting; athletics; financial; brokerage and many investment services; any trade or business where the main asset is the reputation or specialized skill of an individual or employee.

Performing musicians are not eligible for a deduction if their passthrough taxable income is above a specific threshold, but their managers are eligible. Music publishing business should also qualify for the deduction if their businesses are structured in such a way that their taxable income is above the threshold.

Szabo and White recommend that many sole proprietors and artists should consider restructuring their businesses in order to help them navigate the new tax laws. They are presenting at the AIMP-New York Chapter event, “Tax Planning Under the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act” on Thursday, February 15 at 6 p.m. Registration is free to AIMP members and $15 for non-members.

Major Label Executives Criticizing Recording Academy

A group of female music industry executives co-penned a letter to the organizer of the Grammys, the Recording Academy for being “woefully out of touch with today’s music, the music business, and even more significantly, society.”

According to Music Business Worldwide, the criticism is aimed at the Recording Academy’s failure to properly represent women, particularly at the 2018 Grammys. The letter was signed by Jody Gerson (CEO, Universal Music Publishing Group), Julie Greenwald (COO/Chairman of Atlantic Records), Sylvia Rhone (President of Epic Records), Julie Swidler (EVP and General Counsel for Sony Music), Michele Anthony (EVP, Universal Music Group) and Disiree Perez (COO, Roc Nation).

The letter also asked that the Academy’s board of directors put regulations in place that force the organization and the Grammy Awards to become more inclusive of women and transparent about its workings.

Grammy Awards criticism started prior to the 2018 ceremony when a report showed the Recording Academy had refused Album of the Year nominee Lorde an opportunity to perform her own song on the televised portion of the show, despite allowing male artists to do the same.

Criticism continued when Neil Portnow of the Recording Academy used a controversial phrase in an interview about women in the music industry; he asked female executives and musicians to “step up” to higher positions if they were displeased with their current positions: “It has to begin with … women who have the creativity in their hearts and souls, who want to be musicians, who want to be engineers, producers, and want to be part of the industry on the executive level … [They need] to step up because I think they would be welcome.”

Addressing that statement, the letter read, “Neil Portnow’s comments are not a reflection of being ‘inarticulate’ in a single interview. They are, unfortunately, emblematic of a much larger issue with the [Recording Academy] organization as a whole on the broader set of inclusion issues across all demographics.”

After his comment received backlash, Portnow said the Recording Academy planned to launch a “task force” in order to look at how the Academy functions and “overcome the explicit barriers and unconscious biases that impede female advancement in the music community.”

The letter from Gerson, Greenwald, Rhone and others asked that the board enforce this task force and also take steps to “ensure a thorough review by this task force.”

The separate letter read: “The statement you made this week about women in music needing to ‘step up’ was spectacularly wrong and insulting and, at its core, oblivious to the vast body of work created by and with women … Your attempt to backpedal only emphasizes your refusal to recognize us and our achievements. Your most recent remarks do not constitute recognition of women’s achievements, but rather a call for men to take action to ‘welcome’ women. We do not await your welcome into the fraternity. We do not have to sing louder, jump higher or be nicer to prove ourselves … We step up every single day and have been doing so for a long time. The fact that you don’t realize this means it’s time for you to step down …Today we are stepping up and stepping in to demand your resignation.”

Google Changing Rules to Curb Deceptive Ticket Sellers

New AdWords guidelines will force ticket resellers to be more transparent, reported Billboard.

Venues, show operators and artists have expressed frustration for years due to deceptive search results that misdirect fans looking for concert tickets. Google said it has changed the way resellers can advertise within the Google ad platform.

New rules ban many currently-used deceptive practices and demand increased transparency from independent brokers and big resellers like StubHub and Viagogo.

The new rules went into effect on February 7, 2018 and will affect how ticket resellers and professional scalpers advertise on Google’s AdWords platform. Ticket brokers have to complete a certification program and consent to a list of requirements about how their tickets are sourced, priced and marketed. Only after they have successfully responded to questions and have been certified can these resellers boost search engine results through paid advertising and buying via AdWords.

]]>http://musicconsultant.com/music-news-2018/music-business-news-february-13-2018/feed/0Music Business News February 6 2018http://musicconsultant.com/music-news-2018/music-business-news-february-6-2018/
http://musicconsultant.com/music-news-2018/music-business-news-february-6-2018/#respondTue, 06 Feb 2018 20:18:55 +0000http://musicconsultant.com/?p=8214Analysts predicted that Apple Music subscribers may match Spotify’s by mid-year. Also, Spotify added songwriter credits to its platform. And Warner Music Group streaming revenue... Read more »]]>

Analysts predicted that Apple Music subscribers may match Spotify’s by mid-year. Also, Spotify added songwriter credits to its platform. And Warner Music Group streaming revenue was up by nearly 43 percent in 2017.

Apple Music Subscriber Numbers Approaching Spotify’s

The number of Apple Music subscribers is on track to either match or surpass the number of Spotify subscribers by July of this year, said Billboard. The analysis was originally reported by the Wall Street Journal over the weekend.

Spotify is still leading the streaming music pack, but Apple Music’s rapid growth during the past few months is bringing up questions about Spotify’s long-term profitability.

As of the last week of October, 18.2 million of Spotify’s 70 million paid subscribers were located in the U.S. Apple had 15 million U.S. subscribers. During 2017, Apple added about 6 million paid subscribers in the U.S., while Spotify increased by 5.2 million subscribers.

According to industry analysts, Apple Music has about 15-percent of the overall revenue share coming from record labels, while Spotify has 17 percent. When taking into account the iTunes download stores and its revenue along with Apple Music and its Beats Digital Radio service, the combined market share of Apple-owned digital services is 30 percent. This means that Apple as a company is about two-thirds greater than Spotify in the U.S., at least for major labels.

Even though Apple Music subscribers are expected to be even with or greater than Spotify’s by summer, the rapid decline of downloads may decrease Apple’s overall market share by the end of the year.

The fact that Apple is quickly overtaking Spotify in the U.S. is making people in the music industry and beyond question Spotify’s decision to go public. Apple, Amazon and Alphabet can afford to run streaming music services that do not make a sizable profit, but Spotify, which relies almost entirely on streaming, may not be able to do that long term.

The four-percent-per-month rise of Apple Music’s subscriber base is leading its steady U.S. growth. Spotify’s growth has been about one to two percent per month. When Spotify runs a special on subscriptions, its growth rate is about seven percent.

Spotify grew to about 19 million U.S. subscribers in 2017. Its paid subscription service earned about $1.04 billion in revenue last year.

Apple Music started 2017 with 10 million subscribers and ended it with 16 million.

Spotify Adding Songwriter Credits

Spotify added songwriter and producer credits for tracks on its desktop platform.

The information can be seen by right-clicking on tracks within Spotify and selecting “Show Credits” from the menu of options.

Spotify is currently showing information obtained from record label metadata, including the source of the credits. Some of this information will initially be incomplete or inaccurate but will be corrected as the feature evolves and includes information from more independent labels, songwriters and other industry partners.

Spotify said these credits are an enhancement of its recent songwriter initiatives, including the Secret Genius Program, which provides inside information from artists about lyrics and more. This initiative also includes Songshops, a global songwriting workshop as well as The Secret Genius Awards, podcasts and curated playlists.

Songwriting and producer credits will be available on the Spotify mobile app in the coming months.

Warner Music Group (WMG) Streaming Revenues Up Over 42 Percent in 2017

Revenues at WMG-run labels were up 11.8-percent total in 2017 for the first time since 2011, according to an analysis by Music Business Worldwide.

Streaming was up by 42.5-percent, with total label revenues reaching $3.13 billion.

Music Business Worldwide’s analysis of Sony’s year in 2017 revealed that the company’s recorded music revenues were up by 33 percent. Overall recorded music revenues grew by 5.9 percent.

In dollars, Sony’s overall recorded music revenues were up by $214 million, whereas Warner’s were up by $331 million.

In terms of physical formats, Warner saw a drop of six percent in revenue in 2017, with download sales falling by 23.1 percent. This was comparable to Sony’s decline in both areas.

Streaming was 46-percent of Warner’s total recorded music revenues last year, including “Artist Services” and Licensing revenue. This is up from 36 percent in 2016.

Warner announced its Quarter 1 2018 results on February 2, which included the calendar Q4 2017 results. These results indicated that publishing and recorded music at the major label was $1 billion during the first quarter of 2018 for the first time in its history.

The Copyright Royalty Board agreed to a 44-percent increase in songwriter royalty rates. Also, Spotify unveiled a new playlist-based music app. And the Senate moved ahead on the Music Modernization Act.

Streaming Royalty Rates Rising 44-Percent

The Copyright Royalty Board (CRB) decided to increase rates paid to songwriters in the U.S. from on-demand subscription streaming by 44-percent over the next five years, reported Music Business Worldwide.

The announcement was made on January 27. The trial that produced the ruling ended in June, 2017 and involved the National Music Publishers Association (NMPA) and the Nashville Songwriters Association (NSAI). Google, Spotify, Apple and Amazon lobbied within the tech community.

As stipulated by the ruling the overall percentage of revenue paid to songwriters will increase from 10.5 percent to 15.1 percent over the next five years. As an example, this means that if an artist was making $5,000 on music, they will make $7,200 under the new rates.

The CRB also took away the Total Content Cost (TCC) cap. According to the NMPA, this makes it so publishers can get a true percentage of what labels can negotiate in the free market, leading to noticeably higher songwriter royalties.

Additionally, the CRB raised the TCC rate which offers a significantly more balanced record label and publishing rates split in mechanical licensing history. The CRB also said it will now impose a late fee, providing additional incentive for digital music companies to pay royalties on time.

David Israelite, President and CEO of NMPA said, “Crucially, the decision also allows songwriters to benefit from deals done by record labels in the free market. The ratio of what labels are paid by the services versus what publishers are paid has significantly improved, resulting in the most favorable balance in the history of the industry … While an effective ratio of 3.82 to 1 is still not a fair split that we might achieve in a free market, it is the best songwriters have ever had under the compulsory license.”

He continued, “The court also decided in our favor regarding a late free which will force digital music services to pay songwriters faster or be subject to a significant penalty. The bottom line is this is the best mechanical rate scenario for songwriters in U.S. history, which is critically important as interactive streaming continues to dominate the market … “The decision represents two years of advocacy regarding how unfairly songwriters are treated under current law and how crucial their contributions are to streaming services.”

Israelite concluded, “While the court did not grant songwriters a per-stream rate, the increases in overall rates and favorable terms are a huge win for music creators.”

Bart Herbison, Executive Director of the NSAI also weighed in on the decision: “The CRB was a long and difficult process but songwriters and music publishers together presented a powerful case for higher streaming royalty rates. The Nashville Songwriters Association International (NSAI) thanks our songwriter witnesses Steve Bogard, Lee Thomas Miller and Liz Rose whose testimony was compelling.”

Spotify Testing a New Playlist-Based Music App

Spotify began testing an Android-only app, “Stations” in Australia, said TechCrunch.

The app has a “lean-back” option that allows users to listen to music in specific genres and playlists. The app plays the music instantly upon opening, and stations can be changed by scrolling within the app.

While “Stations” resembles Pandora, it has Spotify’s signature personalization that creates user-based playlists as soon as there is enough data from enough individualized listening to generate them.

The app has only around 100 downloads so far, suggesting it has probably only been tested within Spotify’s own staff.

When asked, a Spotify spokesperson said, “We are always testing new products and experiences, but have no further news to share at this time.”

Experts have speculated that “Stations” is Spotify’s attempt to create a standalone app that more directly competes with Pandora than Spotify’s current free, ad-supported version.

U.S. Senate Moving Forward with Music Modernization Act

A bipartisan committee of Senators introduced the Music Modernization Act last week, said Billboard.

Co-sponsored by Senators from both parties, the bill involves “comprehensive music licensing reforms” already entered into the House of Representatives. The bill is asking for a blanket mechanical license that will be administered by an agency that has yet to be created but will benefit music publishers, songwriters and digital services.

David Israelite of the NMPA explained, “The MMA is the best hope for songwriters to achieve fair royalties and payments in the digital age … We are grateful to [the Senators] for their attention to the struggles of music creators and for introducing the MMA, which we hope continues to gain momentum in the Senate.”

The proposed legislation would create a blanket license, a new agency and start a song database. It would also cut out some standards used in current rate setting, substituting them by trying to set rates in a way similar to how they are set in a willing buyer/seller marketplace.

The bill also proposes changing performance rate setting methods by passing each case among Federal Judges in the New York Southern District instead of sending them all to one judge for each of the two main performance rights organizations: ASCAP; BMI.

BMI president and CEO Mike O’Neill said, “The Music Modernization Act is an important step forward in protecting the rights of the American songwriter, and we thank [the Senators] for their support of this important legislation … While we believe there is still more to do to protect the value of the performance right, we are encouraged by the inclusion of two important provisions that go a long way towards ensuring that songwriters and composers receive fair compensation for their creative work; the wheel assignment for rate court judges and the repeal of 114 (i) application to digital services. While we know this bill is not yet final, it represents an unprecedented cross-industry effort to introduce comprehensive music reform, and we look forward to working with all of the interested parties to further support this much needed legislation.”

Elizabeth Matthews, ASCAP CEO said that the MMA will help resolve some of the biggest issues for songwriters in the U.S.: “While there is more work to be done to ensure that songwriters earn fair compensation, this legislation, like the similar bill recently introduced in the House, represents important progress in an ongoing effort on industry-wide reforms that protect the rights of music creators.”

Executives representing Nashville Songwriters Association International and Songwriters of North America also backed the legislation.

The National Association of Broadcasters agreed with the main idea behind the bill, but said it needed more fine-tuning. The NAB’s statement read, “Compromise on music licensing has long proved elusive, and these lawmakers have carefully crafted legislation that benefits all of those parties … Unfortunately, the current bill text includes unrelated provisions that will almost certainly result in unjustifiable cost increases for local radio and TV broadcasters and many other music licensees, for whom the rest of the legislation is largely irrelevant. NAB has been diligently working with the bill sponsors and other stakeholders to resolve those concerns, and we sincerely appreciate the shared commitment to finding a workable solution.”

The Digital Media Association offered a complete endorsement, delivered by CEO Chris Harrison: “We support the Music Modernization Act because it creates a blanket license, which is critical to a modern licensing system and necessary for a rapidly growing industry … We look forward to continuing to work with the Bill’s sponsors in both the House and Senate to create a music licensing system that benefits everyone. Streaming services have literally saved the music industry, delivering better experiences at a better value, and growing revenue for creators. We are glad to see Congress is looking to the streaming future and moving away from the music mess of the past.”

Andrea Canter Matos is the owner of Castle Peak Music, a licensing agency that places songs from independent artists in films, television shows, ads, trailers and promos. Andrea has extensive experience in the Film & TV licensing world and has held positions with major companies such as Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing and EMI Music North America. From 2002-2007 she produced and hosted a music show on Santa Monica public radio station 89.9 KCRW. Considered a tastemaker, she was the first to play songs by Jose Gonzales, Angus & Julia Stone, and the Airborne Toxic Event. Andrea founded Castle Peak Music in 2010 with a handful of artists. Today’s roster includes a range of artists from San Francisco, Nashville, Brooklyn, Chicago, Los Angeles and Copenhagen.

Andrea talked about her background in sync licensing and what grabs her attention when looking for music to place in films, television and commercial spots. She also shared the biggest mistakes she sees artists make when sending their music to industry gatekeepers and delivered some advice for those who want to get their music licensed.

Music Consultant:

Thanks so much for taking some time to chat, Andrea. How did you get started in the music business?

AM:

I grew up in a musical home. My mom was a songwriter who had a publishing deal with a major Hollywood producer named Glen Larson. One of her songs was performed on camera in a show called The Fall Guy, and I got to visit the set the day it was recorded. Basically I was destined to end up in the music licensing world.

I got my professional start in the music business at 89.9 KCRW in Santa Monica. I worked my way up from phone drive volunteer, to office volunteer, to music show volunteer, assisting Anne Litt on “Weekend Becomes Eclectic” every Sunday for two years.

During that time I made a demo, and Nic Harcourt gave me my first DJ gig online for one hour per week. I had been temping at music companies like Maverick Records and Universal Music Publishing Group (UMPG). When a position opened up at UMPG in the licensing department, I took that full-time gig and worked at KCRW on the side. Even though I don’t DJ anymore, I still get the similar experience of exposing independent artists to a broader audience.

MC:

How did you select the current artists on your roster? Is there a quality that you can point to that makes something more “synchable” than others?

AM:

First of all, I have to love the music before I sign an artist or band. Second, I want to feel like I can be successful with placing the music, meaning that I think the sound will fit the music search briefs that have been coming across my desk, or the shows that are currently on the air. I also try to keep a diverse roster by not signing a ton of artists from one particular genre. There are definite trends in the industry, and songs with universal appeal will have good licensing potential, but at the end of the day, I’m just hoping to be wowed by what I hear.

Music Consultant:

How much does an artist’s current track record determine your interest or the interest of a music supervisor in any given artist?

AM:

I prefer to be the first one to pitch an artist’s music to the music supervision community, so it doesn’t matter to me if s/he has had any previous licensing experience. When all’s said and done, it’s the quality of the songs that matters.

Music Consultant:

Does your roster consist purely of people with original music looking to get it licensed, or do you also work with people who create custom pieces of music to fit a spot – or a show, movie, etc.?

AM:

I like working with artists and bands that tour and record albums. Some of my artists are also producers and I go to them with custom music needs. I’m not currently looking to sign composers or instrumental-only artists.

Music Consultant:

I’m told that a great deal of music that gets placed is purely instrumental or TV tracks. Is this the case in your experience?

AM:

Most of the instrumental music I’ve placed has been in ads. Placements in other media (television series, promos, trailers, film) have primarily been songs with vocals.

Music Consultant:

As someone who runs a company that provides a service artists are in dire need of, you must get approached all the time. Other than links to their music, what is the best way someone should approach you? What facts and figures really grab your attention?

AM:

Short and sweet is key: just a one paragraph introduction, and a streaming link to an artist’s latest project. And the newer, the better. I’m not really interested in music older than one or two years unless it’s part of someone’s back catalog. I also like to know upfront if someone controls their masters and the publishing rights to the material. Emails with attachments, such as mp3s, EPKs or bios will be immediately deleted, because they clog up my inbox. This also goes for emails that are not personally addressed to me (because I know it’s just a copy and paste situation).

Music Consultant:

What are some of the biggest mistakes you see artists making when it comes to trying to license their music?

AM:

Not having instrumentals (preferably mastered).

Not having clean edits of any songs that have explicit language.

Not having splits worked out in advance if there are other parties involved.

Signing with multiple agencies for representation.

Music Consultant:

Any parting words of advice for musicians of music business executives who are looking to be successful at getting their music placed?

AM:

Watch television shows. movies, trailers and commercials to get an idea of what songs are being licensed. I don’t have time to watch everything, which is why a site like Tunefind has become a great resource. Also, make sure your music sounds as good as possible. First impressions are really important. If you’re submitting your music to an agency, check out the other artists on the roster. If your music sounds as good as what you hear, then you’re on the right track. If not, you’ve got more work to do.

For more information about Andrea Matos and the work she does, visit the Castle Peak Music website.

]]>http://musicconsultant.com/music-licensing/getting-music-licensed/feed/0Music Business News, January 23, 2018http://musicconsultant.com/music-news-2018/music-business-news-january-23-2018/
http://musicconsultant.com/music-news-2018/music-business-news-january-23-2018/#respondTue, 23 Jan 2018 19:28:28 +0000http://musicconsultant.com/?p=8200Apple launched a new suite of analytics tools for artists. Also, SoundExchange developed a new tool to address U.S. copyright issues. And YouTube committed to... Read more »]]>

Apple launched a new suite of analytics tools for artists. Also, SoundExchange developed a new tool to address U.S. copyright issues. And YouTube committed to implementing ID numbers for artists and songwriters.

Apple Launching Apple Music for Artists

Apple debuted its new analytics dashboard for artists on January 22, reported Billboard.

Called Apple Music for Artists, the dashboard will give acts hundreds of pieces of data in order to track fans’ listening and buying behaviors.

The beta version will serve several thousands of artists. The official desktop version will be released in the spring to millions of artists on iTunes and Apple Music, and a mobile version will follow beyond that.

The dashboard home page will highlight number of plays, spins, song purchases and album purchases. Users can choose a time period spanning from 24 hours all the way to the launch of Apple Music in 2015.

Spotify, Pandora and YouTube released their own analytics dashboards over two years ago. Apple said it will “make up for its tardiness with the depth of information available, level of transparency and the ease of use provided by the clean user interface.”

Beyond the home page, artists can view global maps to track their performance in the 115 countries Apple Music/iTunes is available or select individual cities. They can also look at demographics such as age and gender of listeners for albums or particular songs.

Apple said the “deep dive” can help artists better determine tour routing or plan set lists based on top tracks in specific towns.

Artists can also use Apple Music for Artists to view Apple playlists on which their songs appear and see how many plays they receive through these playlists.

Apple originally planned to add in financials to the analytics, but said the complexity of royalty payment calculations prevented it in the initial launch.

Apple noted that the dashboard will particularly help independent and emerging acts who did not previously have access to deep enalytics.

Canadian R&B singer Daniel Caesar, one of the artists approached to inform the initial rollout of the dashboard said, “As a truly independent artist with a small team, music analytics is something we can’t do without. We don’t have the luxury of deep major label market research to rely on to help us make important decisions like where to perform and how to advertise the things that we make … Apple’s analytics tool helps to level the playing field for artists like myself.”

John Silva, manager for Foo Fighters and Beck added, “This wealth of data will improve our efficiency in serving our artists and their fans, both on the market-by-market level of previous eras and the new global context opened up by Apple dashboard.”

SXWorks Releases New Tool to Manage U.S. Copyright Issues

SoundExchange subsidiary SXWorks launched NOI LOOKUP this week.

According to Music Business Worldwide, the service is designed to help music publishers and songwriters navigate the over 60-million “address unknown Notice of Intention to Use (NOI)” filings that have been made with the copyright office in the U.S.

Last year alone, about 2.5 million of these filings were registered per month, delaying royalty payments and attribution for songwriters and publishers worldwide. These filings originated from users wanting to distribute or use a musical work, but who cannot because they are unable to find the track’s copyright owner.

“Address Unknown” NOI filings have been a major issue the past couple years. Amazon and Google alone have filed millions. And these companies must pay copyright holders for retrospective use whenever their music is identified by the U.S. Copyright Office. Unfortunately, this has not been happening because of the complexity of the reporting and identification process.

NOI LOOKUP is the first straightforward method for songwriters and artists looking to claim their works with accuracy. The service is free at sx-works.com.

Chairman of the Board of SXWorks Michale Huppe explained, “Music publishers and songwriters finally have a way to gain visibility into address unknown filings made by some service providers using their songs … Publishers and songwriters can search the NOI submissions via a simple web-based interface. The service makes a complex process much more transparent, supporting our goal of trying to improve how the music industry operates.”

Music services filed nearly 4.5 million “address unknown” NOIs with the Copyright Office in one month of 2017.

YouTube Planning to Assign ID Numbers to Artists/Songwriters

YouTube committed to requesting an ISNI (International Standard Name Identifier) for all creators whose works are being used on the platform. This includes performers and songwriters.

Music Business Worldwide reported, YouTube is a registration agency for the ISNI Initiative, which is designed to help to “reconcile data and ensure attribution.”

ISNI is the global standard number that helps identify and organize millions of contributors to creative works and those who distribute them.

Spokespeople from YouTube said it will share ISNIs with its label and publishing partners so it can help spread the adoption of this standard by the entire music industry. YouTube is the first platform in the music space to become an ISNI registration agency.

Artists, songwriters and other creators on YouTube will be easier to identify once ISNI is adopted, which will also make their works more visible and trackable on the platform.

Tim Devenport, Executive Director of the ISNI International Agency said, “Bringing the ISNI open standard to music opens the door to more accurate credit for creators, discovery for fans, and transparency for the industry.”

ISNI is meant to help solve the problem of name ambiguity during search and discovery on YouTube and also to diffuse “each assigned ISNI aross all repertoires in the global supply chain so that every published work can be unambiguously attributed to its creator,” explained Devenport.

He added, “We’re delighted to partner with YouTube on such an ambitious effort … Many organizations active in the music sector have already shown interest in using ISNI identifiers as part of the infrastructure they need to manage rights and royalties effectively. Working closely with YouTube, ISNI is very pleased to contribute its experience and skill-sets to these critical objectives … We view this as a transformative opportunity to offer the music industry a valuable identifier scheme and in so doing, to deepen ISNI’s knowledge of this domain and improve its technical facilities and approaches.”